TOPIC: 1964 johnson 90 meteor ?'s

well Im new to boats and decided i wanted a vintage boat. found a
1965 Glastron sportsman with a 1964 90hp johnson meteor outboard.

i tried starting it but it made this lound grinding noise and would barley turn over. so i got it apart and it looks like i need to find a new gear for the starter and the manual says to replace as a set with the drive gear as well.

I cant find this, seems all parts suppliers i find do not go back to 1965. so this would be my first question, is there a good parts source for these??

also i was wondering if this is even a good motor to have? should i waste my time? I pulled the carbs and the inside looks very clean. and the boat was on the water 5-8 years ago.

Ive read some people opted to get rid of the motor because of the electric shift. is this a huge problem?

Thanks for the help/advice

If the ring gear on the flywheel isn't damaged, you shouldn't have to replace it. (I'm not an expert on the meteor, just speaking generally.) I would find a local shop who rebuilds starters, generators and alternators, they can probably source the starter drive (gear) for you. There are quite a few OMC guys on here too, somebody may come up with something later, don't give up on her yet.

Got any pics you can post, we'd also love to see your Glastron!

Sea Way Marine in Seattle, WA.

www.sea-way.com/index.htm

The Meteor 90 was a little better on fuel than the earlier OMC V4's but the carb kit is a bit on the steep side and harder to find than the earlier models. Switches in the control have been the problem with the electric shift models as far as I've seen.

i have a video here. i will post some pics later. im still cleaning it out and started working on the motor getting it started and tested so i know if i need to look for another one while i rebuild the hull

good motor. I ran the 100 meteor no problems. on my motor the electronic ignition was converted to a coil. as long as the thing is shifting the electronic shift is a good system. it defaults to forward if it fails so get a spare. there are people that work on them but you have to hunt them down

Yikes! Good thing you've got some experience/knowledge about termites, they've been having a feast in your floor huh. As you stated in the video, I'd certainly vote for replacing ALL the wood in the Sportsman including the transom. You've got your work cut out for you, but that will make a nice one when you get her done. If you'd like to see how she looked originally, here's the link to the "factory images" page for your boat on CGOA.

www.classicglastron.com/65gl-v171-172-174-web.html

Those badges/emblems you asked about aren't available anymore, unless you score some on Ebay or craig's list. There was a member here who recently re-cast his own, that may be an option...

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress, okay!?

i quoted out some parts that i dearly needed with seaway. the price was more or less full book. the same with several other suppliers i checked with, a little less maybe but not much.

dan gano, no associate or personal interest to me, was a great help in vintage omc parts. he came in at about 1/3 all the rest and was prompt. if he has it, that's the way to go.

you can find his site at aomci.org in the links page somewhere under "for the motor".

The Meteor is a good engine, but carburator parts are a nightmare. Unless the carb has problems don't touch it.

Just a thought - before you pour $$ into that boat, be sure it's one you really want. It's going to take a ton of work & a lot of cash to restore that hull. be sure it's worth the effort for your wants. The more you look around, the more nice old boats you will come across - and the price will be far less than what you would spend on a full restoration. It's also nice to have your first boat be one that can be brought to life relatively easy, that way you can enjoy it & get a better idea of what type of boat fits your needs best.

Thanks for all the tips, got some quotes back on the parts, and im glad they are still available. carb parts are a bit high but not outrageous. i will order as soon as i get one more quote back. here is an update , not much just test sanding and plans